Tutoring By Joe Nelson

I'm currently a graduate student at American University working toward a master's degree in the history of philosophy. I received my bachelor's degree from Wheaton College (MA), where I majored in philosophy. In addition to academic philosophy, I have a background in creative writing, tutoring (from middle schoolers to college students), music, performance, political commentary, and public speaking.

While majoring in philosophy at Wheaton College (MA) I served as the Philosophy Department tutor for students of all grade levels. This involved helping students understand their course material, as well as developing their skills in logic, reasoning, and argumentative essay writing. I also provided students with additional help by arranging individual meetings outside of normally scheduled tutoring hours, and routinely fielded questions from students online regarding their coursework.

I have extensive experience writing for many purposes and in all sorts of styles – academic writing, journalism, creative writing, social media, etc. Conveying the fundamentals of argumentative essay writing comprised much of my work as a philosophy tutor, and working with many different age groups over the years has given me the ability to adjust my level of criticism and advice to the needs of whomever I'm helping.

So far I've managed to resist the pressure to concentrate my studies on only one area of interest, so my knowledge of philosophy isn't limited to any particular person, period, or subject. In fact, I enjoy being able to draw useful comparisons between various thinkers and their works, noticing similarities which might otherwise be overlooked. This wide-ranging approach is particularly useful for educators, whose students are likely each to be interested in different philosophers and branches of philosophy.